Forced Friendship
by Mazuiko
Summary: ToguroYusuke Friendship is uplifting yet depressing, clear yet confusing, and is the last thing some people want...but then again, so is love. R&R.
1. Surprise Vacation

Chapter 1-Surprise Vacation

Yusuke was, once again, angry at Koenma. He had just been sent on vacation for a month after the Dark Tournament, but was contacted by Botan after only a week.

"This is stupid! One week after the Dark Tournament and we're already on another mission. That toddler should pay me for this!"

"Yusuke, Botan never said we were going on a mission. She just said he wanted to talk to us."

"We end up going on a mission every time she wants to talk to us, Kurama. Why else would Koenma want to talk to us?"

"That is a good question. Maybe it is about our vacation."

"I hope not. He probably wants to--"

Yusuke stopped short when he saw the ENTIRE Toguro Team standing beside Koenma.

"--take it away from us."

Despite the million questions that were soaring through Yusuke's head, he couldn't get even one to come out of his mouth. Leave it to Kurama to handle that problem for him.

"Koenma, would you mind telling us why they are here?"

Koenma looked as though he had just been beaten by Hiei and Kuwabara, who were both standing in front of his desk with less questioning faces.

"Well, I already told them what's going on, so I might as well tell you. I've decided to give both teams another chance."

"What's that supposed to mean? We didn't do anything, they did!"

"I never said you did anything wrong. I wanted to give both teams another chance with each other. You got off on the wrong foot."

"We got off on the wrong MILE Koenma!"

"Exactly. The Dark Tournament is not a good place to get to know someone, so I'm having you live together and pretty much start all over again."

Yusuke was just about ready to hit his boss, so Kuwabara stepped in.

"It's alright, Urameshi. It's only for thirty days."

"Thirty days? That's my whole vacation!"

"Think about it. Koenma's right. We shouldn't judge them by what we saw at the Dark Tournament."

"Yeah right! You and your honor code. They'll probably try to kill us!"

"I have an idea."

"Well that's new."

"Shut up, Urameshi! If you still don't want to do it after a week, we'll call it off. If you want to, we can stay the whole thirty days. How's that?"

To Yusuke's surprise, every member of the Toguro Team had stayed absolutely silent...besides the fact that they were staring at him. He nodded his head, too angry to trust himself to say anything civilized.

"Alright then, it's settled. We'll be living in Toguro's house, so get your stuff packed. When we're all done, we'll meet back here."

Yusuke turned to leave, still muttering various curses under his breath, when both of the Toguro Brothers began to follow him home.

"Stop it. There's no way you're coming near my place."

Toguro stopped walking, and his brother whispered something in his ear. Yusuke didn't bother trying to hear what they were talking about. 'Why does his stupid brother always sit on his shoulder? I swear I never see them apart...' He went home to pack, and continued to fume about the situation until he got there.

TBC

Mazuiko: Sorry that it took so long and it is so short! Chapters will vary in length. I am writing stories again. Natalya and FrostToguro are my inspiration! Thank you both for answering my requests. Time Changes All Things and My Enemy, My Beloved are wonderful stories. 


	2. Chaos Ensues

Chapter 2-Chaos Ensues 

Kuwabara became worried when Yusuke still hadn't shown up at Toguro's home. At first he thought that Yusuke had decided not to come, but then he started thinking about other things. Kurama was concerned, but he dismissed his concern because Hiei hadn't shown up yet.

"I wonder what's taking Yusuke so long."

Karasu shrugged as Yusuke walked in through the front door. The fact that he had only one bag of things surprised both of the Toguro Brothers. Aniki was very suspicious.

"Why did it take you so long to pack only one bag?"

"None of your business. It doesn't matter, anyway."

Yusuke tossed his bag to the side in an uncaring manner. Toguro slowly stood up with a sigh.

"I think you should be shown to your rooms. Karasu will room with Kurama, Bui with Hiei, Kuwabara with my brother and Yusuke with me. Follow me, Yusuke."

Yusuke grumbled all the way to the room as he followed Toguro, but stayed at least a few feet behind. He continued to glare at Toguro's back until they entered the main bedroom. He began to unpack the few things he had with him, Toguro watching him. To Yusuke, the experience was uncomfortable. 'What's his problem? How does he expect me to be nice if all he ever does is stare?' The tense silence persisted until Toguro voiced his small but growing concern.

"Are you really that upset about being here?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you are, but I do not understand why."

"You're a murderer and I'm living in your house, Muscles. What's to understand?"

"I was hoping you could forgive me."

"I can, but I don't know if I will."

"I understand now."

Yusuke felt a pang of guilt as Toguro left the room. He knew he was going to forgive Toguro...eventually. He just had a few issues to work out, if that's what they were called. He headed towards the living room, intent on watching T.V. and fighting Kuwabara for the remote. He didn't have to wait very long...Kuwabara got there first.

"Give me back the remote, Urameshi!"

"No! My program's on!"

"So what? I was watching T.V. already!"

"Well, now it's my turn!"

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"Will the both of you stop already? You are being obnoxious."

Aniki had had just about enough of their nonsense. Why would two children fight so loudly over something so trivial? Bui, however, was watching in amusement. He wasn't used to such funny, if not unreasonable, bickering. Karasu was snickering, earning him a questioning glance from Aniki.

"Do you honestly think that it is funny?"

"Of course. They are just children."

"They are old enough to know better."

"They know better, but they just do not care."

Yusuke smiled in triumph when he finally got the remote from Kuwabara. To his dismay, Toguro grabbed the remote from him and gave it back to Kuwabara.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"You do not like it when someone does it to you, now do you?"

"I stole it from him cause I want to watch something and he's watching something else."

"Oh well. Wait until he is finished."

"Who do you think you are, and since when do you tell me what to do?"

"This is my house, and I will tell you what to do for as long as you live in it."

Kuwabara and Yusuke went eerily quiet, and Kuwabara became noticably fidgety. He gave Yusuke a knowing glance and quickly left the room. Yusuke left soon afterwards, his interest in the T.V. gone. 'He sounds just like him. I swear I'm leaving as soon as the week is over. I already can't stand being here.' Kuwabara visited him in his room to talk.

"He sounds just like him, you know."

"Just cause he sounds like him doesn't mean he'll act like him, Urameshi."

"I don't care. I don't like him one bit. He tried to kill us, remember?"

"Sheesh, you sure know how to hold a grudge. You ever heard of forgiving someone?"

"That's not something I do often. Not everyone has an honor code like you."

"You don't have to have an honor code. Try being a little nicer to him and see what happens."

Yusuke turned away from his best friend. Kuwabara had a way of making him feel guilty about almost everything he did. 'Try being nicer to him? What is he thinking? He'll probably try to take my heart from me like he did to Genkai.' Yusuke then went to sleep, dreaming of his worries and things he couldn't change.

TBC

Mazuiko: Another short one...sorry about that. I will make the next one longer. I have only one review so far from Kativa-chan...and chapter 3 will go up as soon as I have five. Five for two chapters is not really asking for much, is it? Anyway, thanks for the review Kativa-chan, and I will continue to write as long as I get some reviews. Ja ne!


	3. Unanswered Questions

Chapter 3-Unanswered Questions 

Yusuke woke up in the middle of the night, as usual, but decided that staring at the ceiling was not the way he wanted to spend the night. He headed towards the kitchen, hoping to find something edible before anyone else woke up. 'I didn't see Toguro sleeping in the room, and the whole house is so dark. Where would he go this late at night?' He walked into the kitchen after bumping into various objects and found Kurama eating at the table. 'He's up too? I guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep.'

"Good morning, Yusuke."

"Good morning?"

"It's 3:00 a.m. Can't sleep?"

"No. What about you?"

"I'm not tired. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"If nothing's wrong, you'd be sleeping."

"I just...had a nightmare. That's all."

Kurama raised an eyebrow as he noticed that Yusuke was rubbing the back of his head and trying to burn a hole in the floor with his eyes. He wanted to pry until he got the truth, but he knew that pushing the matter would only scare Yusuke away. He still couldn't get the feeling that something was wrong to go away. 'He's acting so nervous...but why? We've been friends for almost a year now. Even Kuwabara is acting suspicious.'

"Alright. Do try to get some sleep, Yusuke. It's not healthy to be up this late at night."

"Look who's talking."

"You're right. I'll try to get some sleep as well."

Kurama nearly gasped as he watched Yusuke turn completely around and leave the kitchen. 'Didn't he come in here to eat something? I hope I didn't make him too uncomfortable.' He sighed. He hadn't lied to Yusuke. He wasn't tired before...but he sure was afterwards. He lifted himself from the chair to go to bed, still wondering about...well, everything.

"Well, hello there."

Kurama certainly hadn't expected to get a hello from anyone that night, especially Aniki.

"Hello."

"What is wrong? Are you worried about your leader?"

"If you did anything to him-"

"I will take that as a yes, and no, I did not do anything to the boy. I was simply...curious."

"He's been acting strange lately."

"He is not the only one."

"Excuse me?"

"Kuwabara has been acting the same way, right?"

"Well, yes. Do you know anything about this?"

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"Maybe there's nothing wrong. We may be overreacting."

"I highly doubt that. Since when is Kuwabara quiet?"

"I've never seen Kuwabara be quiet for long."

"Exactly. That boy has been pretending to sleep all night while staring at my wall. One would think that he is an insomniac."

"Yusuke and Kuwabara are actually heavy sleepers...a storm can't wake them."

"Are you sure? Perhaps you do not know your friends as well as you think you do."

"I hope that's not the case."

Aniki grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before leaving Kurama alone. 'If I had been told I would have two teenage boys and their so-called friends living in my home before Koenma told me, I would have called that person an imbecile and obliterated them on the spot.' He watched Kurama head back to Karasu's bedroom, then went towards his brother's bedroom. Just as he stepped into the room, Yusuke entered behind him. His brother sat up in bed, staring at Yusuke without his sunglasses on.

"Where were you?"

"That's none of your business."

Aniki wasn't surprised when his younger brother went across the room and grabbed Yusuke's wrist so fast that the boy didn't see him move. He was expecting it since both he and his brother hated being smart-mouthed in their own home.

"I asked you a simple question, and I expect an answer. I will not allow you to question me or my authority in this house."

Yusuke looked down at the floor, a move that Aniki knew all too well.

"You seem to like the appearance of our flooring."

Yusuke gave him an innocent look, but Aniki wasn't naive.

"I saw you do the same thing when you were talking to Kurama in the kitchen. Brother, you wanted to know where he was. I saw him walking around, so I followed him."

Toguro was staring at Yusuke like a guard on watch. Yusuke tugged slightly on his arm to get Toguro to let him go, but Toguro tightened his grip. Aniki waited for Yusuke to try again, but Toguro didn't give Yusuke a chance.

"If he was in the kitchen, he must have eaten in the kitchen as well."

"He did not eat. He spoke to Kurama and left."

Yusuke tugged at his arm again, but Toguro tightened his grip. Yusuke wimpered at how hard Toguro was squeezing his wrist.

"Stop it. You're hurting my wrist, Muscles."

"If you stop pulling, it will stop hurting. It is time you went to sleep."

Toguro let go of Yusuke's wrist. Yusuke was relieved when Aniki left the room. 'I swear that guy is so...freaky.' Toguro was still staring at him, so he turned over. Unfortunately, he ended up looking at him when Toguro got into bed.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"No."

"Then why did you go to the kitchen if you did not get anything to eat?"

"I was going to, but Kurama was there and I ended up talking to him."

"Are you alright?"

"What's with all the questions?"

"You are acting strange."

"Like you would know."

"Try to get some sleep."

Yusuke huffed and turned over to face the wall. He was angry, but he felt his anger dissipate when Toguro put his hand on his shoulder.

"There are people who care for you."

"I know, Muscles."

"Good. Do not forget it."

Kuwabara rolled his eyes for the hundredth time that night. He was still worried about his best friend, and memorizing what the ceiling looked like wasn't helping. He had promised Urameshi he wouldn't tell anyone, but promises were so hard to keep sometimes. Aniki had gotten back into bed about ten minutes ago and was still staring at him. 'Sheesh. This guy's creeping me out. I bet Urameshi feels the same way about Toguro.'

"Is my ceiling that interesting to you?"

"I can't sleep with you staring at me like that!"

"You have been unusually quiet."

"Whatever."

Aniki didn't say anything more. If the boy wanted to talk, he would. Kuwabara became very quiet and withdrawn when Toguro had told Yusuke he had to listen to him because he was living in his house. 'Are they really that uncomfortable with obeying the rules? Honestly, that cannot be the problem. This is why I hate children. They are so difficult!' He was not going to put up with two hormonal teenagers with attitudes. If anything, he was going to find out why they were being so rude. The only problem was...he didn't know how to go about it. He was going to need his brother's help. The next morning, it was the third day they had been staying at Toguro's house. Yusuke tried to sneak down to the kitchen, but found that Karasu had beaten him to it.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Yusuke grunted and refused to answer. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, much less a member of Team Toguro. Karasu mocked him with a hurt look, but Yusuke wasn't amused. He was counting down the days until he could leave and thought they were going by too slowly. He still hadn't seen Hiei and wondered if he had shown up at all. Kuwabara was already watching T.V., and thought better against taking the remote from him after remembering what had happened the last time he did so. He started looking for cereal or some eggs, but Karasu stopped him.

"There is some oatmeal on the stove. It is still warm if you want some."

"Like I would eat anything you cook."

Yusuke rolled his eyes and took a box of cereal out of one of the cabinets. He had found some milk in the fridge and was thankful it hadn't expired. Kuwabara shouted a good morning to no one in particular as he marched into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of some of the same cereal. Yusuke decided it would be a good time to start a friendly conversation.

"Morning, Kuwabara. You look like you stayed up all night. Did Aniki scare you?"

"Shut up, Urameshi. He didn't scare me. I just couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, and I absolutely enjoyed Toguro's company. We even played Scrabble (TM)!"

Yusuke enjoyed teasing his friend, but he was beginning to believe that Kurama could be their mother. It wasn't that he liked to make fun of Kurama, it was just that Kurama scolded them more than his own mother did.

"Yusuke, sarcasm is not good in a conversation. You could easily be misunderstood and a fight could start."

"Oh, come on Kurama. Kuwabara knows I was just kidding."

"Really? It's hard for me to tell."

"Now look who's being sarcastic."

"You don't like it when it's done to you, do you?"

"Whatever. It's not like I actually care. We fight all the time, no matter what we say."

"That can be a problem at times."

"Relax. You're too uptight sometimes."

Yusuke and Kuwabara stopped talking when Toguro entered the room, his older brother on his shoulder as always. Yusuke put his bowl in the sink and stalked out into the living room, Kuwabara close behind. Kurama couldn't read Toguro's expression, but it was easy to see the annoyance on Aniki's face. Karasu was slightly surprised, but Kurama only shrugged and shook his head. 'Yusuke will probably leave in one week, but I don't think that's long enough for any of us to get to know each other. How am I going to convince Yusuke to stay longer if he doesn't tell me what's bothering him? I guess it's time I took matters into my own hands.'

TBC

Mazuiko: Yay! I promised I would make this chapter longer than the others, so here you go! I got a lot of reviews for Chapter 2. Thank you all so much! To answer Natalya's question: yes, Kuwabara will end up with Aniki! I hope you do not mind, Natalya, but Aniki is the dom in this story. This story is going to be a long one, cause I believe suspense and angst are what make a story interesting. The pairings are as follows and are in order of how much effect they will have on the story: Toguro/Yusuke, Aniki/Kuwabara, Karasu/Kurama, Bui/Hiei. The pairings will start to show once Yusuke's 'problem' is revealed. I apologize, but I cannot tell you who Kuwabara and Yusuke were talking about...that would give away too much. Whoa...this was long. Sorry! On with Chapter 4!


	4. Sad Revelation

Chapter 4-Sad Revelation 

Kurama followed Yusuke and Kuwabara out of the kitchen and into the living room. He was going to get an answer out of Yusuke even if it took all day...but he was hoping it wouldn't come to that. The boys were watching T.V., or pretending to. Kurama sat down next to Yusuke, trying his best not to anger him.

"Yusuke, is there something you'd like to talk about?"

"No."

"Is there something bothering you?"

"No."

"I know there's something bothering you and Kuwabara. I can't help you if I don't know what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me."

"Yusuke, I refuse to go in circles on this subject, and I don't like it when you lie to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"No."

Kurama sighed and tried his best not to look angry. He knew that getting angry would make Yusuke hostile, then he'd never get Yusuke to talk to him.

"Yusuke, do you want to sit here all day?"

"No."

"Then tell me what's wrong."

"No."

"You're being stubborn and I don't know why. I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"Then at least tell me what's going on so I can stop being concerned about it."

"You wouldn't stop being concerned about it if I told you."

"Then you do need my help."

"No, I don't."

Toguro wasn't going to take anymore nonsense. Kurama was trying to help his friend and Yusuke was too busy being...well, Yusuke.

"That is enough. If you do not tell us what is bothering you, you will be here all day until I get an answer."

"You're only making it worse."

"No. You are just making it harder on yourself. Now, stop being difficult and tell us already."

"I guess I'll just show you."

Yusuke took off his shirt, showing an array of bruises, some older and darker than others. Kurama grimaced and Kuwabara turned away. The Toguro Brothers, being used to such things, showed no change in expression or demeanor. Karasu blinked, and Bui grunted at the sight when he walked into the room.

"Where did they come from?"

"None of your business."

"It is now."

"My dad, Muscles. You happy now?"

"Your father did this to you?"

"Didn't I just tell you that? Just leave me alone."

"Not until you tell me what happened."

"My dad found out I was leaving and beat me. Happens all the time."

"How often?"

"On a daily basis."

"How come I could not see them before?"

"I covered them up with make-up."

"You are staying here."

"I know that."

"No. You are not going back to that place."

"Since when do you decide where I live? I have a mother to do that for me, Muscles!"

"Does your mother know about the problem?"

"Yeah. She says I deserve it."

"You certainly do not. You are going to stay here. I will not allow you to be harmed by anyone in such a way."

"Whatever."

Toguro turned to Kuwabara, who was then staring at the wall.

"Did you know anything about this?"

"Urameshi made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Yusuke, I would like to talk with you alone for a moment."

Yusuke followed Toguro to his room and sat on the bed, refusing to look at the much taller demon.

"Look at me, Yusuke."

Yusuke looked up at him, looking angrier than he did before.

"Do you really want to go back?"

"No, but I don't want to stay here."

Toguro held Yusuke's face in his hands as tenderly as he could.

"Is staying here that bad?"

"Not really, but you guys did try to kill us."

"I promise that will not happen again."

"What do you care, anyway?"

Yusuke looked like he was ready to cry, but pride kept him from doing so. Toguro wrapped his arms around him, and Yusuke nearly laughed at the thought that being hugged by Toguro was like being hugged by a huge bear.

"You're hugging me."

"I know."

"Stop it."

"No."

"I don't want you hugging me."

"Why? Are you ticklish?"

"No."

"I think you are lying."

"Well I think I'm not."

Toguro didn't believe him, especially when he tried to tickle him. Yusuke rolled back and forth, laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

"Stop! T-That tickles! Help!"

"I thought you were not ticklish?"

"A-Alright already! I am!"

"Are you ticklish?"

"Y-Yeah! Stop!"

Toguro stopped tickling him, but Yusuke was still laughing.

"I knew you were lying."

"Ow..."

"Laughed too hard?"

"What do you think? You know, I've never seen you laugh."

Yusuke found himself wishing he hadn't said so. Toguro's smile faded into the frown he always showed, and Yusuke swore that Toguro looked a bit older.

"Why do you always wear sunglasses?"

"I want to."

"I figured that much. Why don't you take them off?"

"I do not want to."

"Obviously."

Yusuke snatched Toguro's sunglasses away, and was shocked. Toguro's eyes were blue and fierce. He felt like he had just been stabbed with ice due to the shivers racing up and down his spine.

"You have seen my eyes before, Yusuke."

His voice was caught in his throat. For a moment, he couldn't think of anything coherent to say. He swore he was frozen solid because he couldn't move. It was as though all time had stopped...and Toguro was just looking at him! 'If he were glaring at me...I'd probably be dead.'

"Do you plan on giving me back my sunglasses?"

"Uh...yeah. Here you go."

'He probably thinks I'm an idiot now. Wait a second...since when do I care what he thinks?'

* * *

Kuwabara stomped off to Aniki's room, with Aniki himself on his heels. 

"Will you stop following me?"

"Why did you hide this from us when you knew your friend was being hurt?"

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, so I didn't tell anyone! I never break my promises."

"I see that. You still look concerned."

"Urameshi's not used to Toguro. It's going to take awhile..."

"I think that goes for all of us."

"Where's Hiei, anyway?"

"During the day he trains with Bui, and he sleeps in the oak tree in the backyard at night."

"He needs to relax...this was supposed to be our vacation, you know."

"It still is. We just need to get along."

"Isn't that why Koenma trapped us here?"

"He trapped you? I think of it as you all being grounded."

"I'd hit you right now, but I'm supposed to set a good example for Urameshi."

"Your friend is not in this room, so go ahead."

"No. You should never attack someone unless they try to hurt you...no matter how annoying they are."

"You think I am annoying? Well, I think you are not intelligent at all."

"I think you're a freak."

"Oh? Since when do people stare at freaks?"

"I don't stare at you. You're the one who stares at me!"

"What goes around comes around, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means."

Kuwabara scowled and climbed into bed. 'I hope Urameshi isn't having as much trouble as I am.' He drifted off to sleep, dreaming of kittens the entire night.

* * *

Kurama paced the room again and again while Karasu watched, and figured the bomb-weilder found it funny. He really didn't want to, but he couldn't help it. He was worried about how Yusuke would be while staying with Toguro. Once their 'vacation' was over, none of them would have an easy time visiting him. Toguro didn't live close to town, and Kurama wasn't sure he'd let Yusuke leave the house. Yusuke wasn't the type of person that stayed at home, either. Kurama had witnessed Yusuke sneaking out of his house more than once, and he got irritable quickly when he felt like he was being caged. Karasu was snickering at Kurama's musings. 

"You really do act like their mother."

"Do be quiet. I'm not in the mood for your harassment."

"I am not harassing you. You are just begging to be teased. Besides, it is hard for me to sleep with you burning a hole in the carpet."

"I guess it's time I went to bed. Hiei's the insomniac, not me."

Kurama continued to worry, despite his best efforts, and thought of Yusuke. 'I swear that boy is an enigma, like a puzzle that no one can solve.' Kurama went into a fitful sleep, unsure of what the next day would bring.

TBC

Mazuiko: Well, this is Chapter 4! I tried to make it longer and more interesting than the other chapters. I hope you all enjoy it! Time to type out Chapter 5. Until then, ja ne!


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